File sharing applications allow several different users to collectively share information. Many users may access the same file simultaneously. All of the users may view the file but only the first user to access the file has editing privileges. Subsequent users to access the file are blocked from editing the file. Supplying a read-only version of a file to all but one user is inconvenient for large shared files. This is particularly exacerbated if users want to work on a shared file offline. For example, other users may be locked out of the file for a long period of time if the first user to access the shared file is away on a business trip.